Hi everyone! We’re buying this house and would love to spruce it up. We’re not keen on brick painting but I’ve heard y’all talk about brick staining and would love to know more about that? Would staining liven this brick up a little? What color stain would you recommend? Also we hate the black shutters and door and would like to paint them, suggestions? Lately, what AI apps are you guys using for decorating scenarios? I’m always so impressed? Are any of them free? Thank you so much!
by Master_Procedure7793
11 Comments
>Would staining liven this brick up a little?
IMO, no. I don’t understand why you’d buy a red brick house just to change it’s character for forever.
I don’t love the idea of staining the brick. Larger white shutters and proper landscaping (rounded bushes and conical trees to balance out the squareness of the house) will work wonders. If you still dislike the color of the brick after making these changes, then you can think of staining it.
It’s ALL about landscaping at this point- or change your trim colors.
Those “shutters” are a disservice to that home.
Don’t. You’re considering making a huge, irreversible change to your brick because of Reddit trends.
We used to own a red brick house that had been stained and hooo boy did that make the brick unfixably ugly (it was a green-ish stain that left the bricks looking like a brown/purple).
What this house needs is landscaping and maybe a bit of architectural interest around the front door. The brick is just fine.
Agree with others that you probably don’t need to stain or paint the brick, and I say that as someone whose house has painted brick. Landscaping will be your best friend. Get some beds created and planted – I like a mix of native flowering perennials, but the world is your oyster.
Just no Bradford pear.
https://preview.redd.it/6p7m6uxz1mrg1.jpeg?width=641&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a31af4843d71ee6be9da82481d71eaa7909632cf
Honestly, I love stained brick. I believe mineral stains are intended to be better for the life of the brick as well
Eta: maybe also get some railing on those stairs and ditch the shutters all together unless you are really using them. Otherwise, you would switch to a wooden shutter instead of painting.
New style door would set this off as well
Before touching the brick, I’d add some kind of overhang with columns on your front steps to create some dimension and make your door look less like it’s floating on a wall. Then focus on really good landscaping. A mix of shrubbery and flowers in front of the house and along your sidewalks would add waaay more visual interest than white washing or staining will. If you’ve decorated and still hate the red, THEN go for it.
You have a classic home. Don’t mess with the brick. All you need is a thorough exterior facade cleaning and some complementary landscaping. Maybe repaint the window casings so they match. The check rails on the ones on the left don’t match the ones on the right.
You’ll be permanently altering your house and if you ever tire of it, the only option will be to paint which is terrible for bricks as they need to breathe. They hold moisture and it MUST be allowed to escape or it will back up into your interior walls.
Really all you need is landscaping. Your bricks looks mint condition for a house this age. Plus, the number one rule with buying a new house, unless it’s a major issue that requires immediate work, don’t change anything major for at least a year. You’ll often be very very glad you didn’t do anything right away as an impulse just because you feel you’re supposed to.